INTRODUCTION. 15 



green is also beautifully displayed in the foliage of the 

 various species, and in the many curious and unique vari- 

 eties we have the variegated leaves that occasionally occur 

 throughout the whole of our flora. 



The extensive fir and pine forests of Northern Europe 

 that clothe the mountain ranges so universal in those coun- 

 tries, cover millions of acres, and contain some magnif- 

 icent specimens in size and beauty. But large as these 

 enormous tracts appear, they are inferior to those of our 

 Western regions. Immense tracts of timber clothe the 

 summits and sides of a large portion of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, and the section of country west to the Pacific Coast. 

 Some of the enormous trees found in these localities are 

 of almost incredible size. Specimens of the Pinus Lam- 

 bertiana, Picea nobilis, Picea grandis, and Sequoia gi- 

 gantea, are often met with reaching a height of 200 feet 

 and upwards. 



The several genera composing this order are limited to 

 no particular climate or country, but are natives of the 

 torrid, frigid, and temperate zones, throughout the whole 

 world. Each region has its own representative, marked 

 by its peculiar type of growth. On the coldest summits 

 of the Alpine peaks of Lapland, at the very utmost limits 

 of arborescent vegetation, are found many of the d warier 

 species ; whilst, on the other extreme, the splendid Arauca- 

 carias and Dacridiums develop their beauty beneath the 

 scorching sun of a torrid clime. 



Although the family is not remarkable for producing 

 edible fruit, and only a few members of it that of sufficient 

 value for exportation, yet many of the species bear very 

 nutritious seed, upon which the natives of those countries 

 where they grow, almost entirely subsist. 



The Pinus Xambertiana, for instance, has large, dark- 

 brown seeds, that are eagerly gathered by the Indians, 

 and form one of their principal articles of food. The P. 

 pinea also produces large, nut-like seeds, about three-quar- 



